Apollo Justice: Manager To The Stars
by Melon Dollar Baby
Summary: It's time for The Gavineers wildly anticipated reunion! Except ... their manager just quit. Luckily, Klavier Gavin has a great idea for a replacement. Unluckily, it's Apollo Justice. Will the reunion go ahead as planned? Or is it headed to be another Ace Attorney-esque disaster?
1. Chapter 1

For Klavier Gavin, life was good.

The Gavineers Reunion was already guaranteed to be a hit. Social media activity had gone through the roof in excitement over the upcoming album and tour. There was a buzz throughout the entire Gavineers fan base, with extra dates being added to the tour to accommodate all the new fans. Every talk show on air had mentioned the reunion at least twice.

Everything was going swell.

Until the phone rang.

"Hello, Klavier Gavin speaking?" He said with a smirk, as he answered his mobile.

"Hey, Klav, it's Toby," came the voice on the other end. Toby 'Dynamite' Blizzard was the bands new bassist, following Daryan Crescend's...unexpected...exit from the band. At first, Klavier didn't expect to form much of a bond with Toby, due to his friendship with Daryan. Toby had felt like a replacement, with big shoes to fill. However, the kind young man had ended up being a good friend and an open ear for Klavier's troubles. It hadn't hurt that his stage presence was second to none.

"Toby, my man! How's it going?" Klavier replied enthusiastically, whilst sipping his coffee. Enthusiasm that didn't match Toby's tone.

"Ugh...not great, actually. Look, I'll get right to it. Phil just quit."

Klavier nearly choked on his coffee.

"Heiliger Strohsack!"

"Yeah...it's not ideal. Apparently, his wife has just left him so he's going to the mountains to find himself."

"But the album is getting released in a month! The tour is in two months! He can't leave us now!"

"Well, he has. We've not even sorted the track list out yet, Klav, nevermind actually recording anything! We have to push the reunion back."

The thought made Klavier feel sick.

"No way, Toby! We can't do that to the fans!"

"Well unless we find a new manager. Which takes weeks, can I add? Weeks we don't have."

"Erm," Klavier stalled, racking his brains, "No, wait! I know a guy!"

"...You do?" Toby sounded skeptical. Which was fair enough seeing as it was a giant lie.

"Yeah! I'll give him a call!"

"What's his name?"

"Sorry, Toby, I can't quite hear you," Klavier lied, for the second time in one minute, "I have to go now. Bye bye my friend. Bye bye!"

Klavier hung up the phone and chucked it far away like it was a bomb. And he began to pace round his living room.

Why? Why did he say that? He didn't know anyone. Everyone he knew was an idiot. To be a band manager, you had to be persistent. You had to be smart. Weasel-y, even. You had to have your ear to the ground, your nose in everyone's business, and your mouth saying all the right words. Be able to think fast! But also to take time in decision making. He didn't know anyone like that.

Unless.

Unless he did, in fact, know somebody like that.

He looked over to his mobile, still laying offendingly on the edge of his couch cushion. Cautiously, he picked it up and dialled.

"Hello?" Apollo Justice answered, sitting on his own, far-cheaper, couch eating some noodles, "Who is this?"

"Ah, Herr Forehead, my good friend!" Klavier exclaimed, trying to sound breezy.

"...How did you get this number?" Apollo asked suspiciously. Klavier completely ignored him.

"You're not doing anything at the minute, are you?" He assumed. It wasn't too far of a thought to imagine Apollo was doing anything, either social or work related.

"If you're asking me out on a date, the answer is most likely no," Apollo frowned, "Try me again in 45 minutes when my shows over."

"I'm not asking you out on a date! I was actually about to propose a...business opportunity to you."

Apollo squinted in suspicion. Had this come from anyone else, he would have hung up immediately and then got Trucy to call them back on the office phone, telling them he'd died. The fact it was Klavier intrigued him somewhat. Like an instant wish to eat something marked 'do not eat'.

"What kind of business opportunity?"

"Well, I don't know if you heard about our upcoming reunion of The Gavineers."

"I haven't. I blocked all social media posts that had your or your bands name in them, on account of all the hate I was getting."

"Yes that is a shame, but more importantly, someone in our team has just quit. I was wondering if you would like to step in. Temporarily, of course," Klavier explained, trying not to sound desperate.

"You sound desperate. What's the job?"

"...Manager."

There was a moments silence between the two men.

"Goodbye."

"Herr Forehead, wait" Klavier shouted, "Apollo, please!"

The use of his real name startled Apollo. The word 'Apollo' sounded so foreign in Klavier's voice. Maybe...his friend really needed him. Or...maybe his standards of friendship were just too low as such a simple act of using his real name touched his feelings so much.

"Please, Apollo," Klavier begged again, "I'm not doing this for the money or the fame or anything! I'm doing it for the fans. I wouldn't ask usually. I'd push the reunion back whilst we found a new manager properly but the outpouring of excitement it was so much more than I expected. I...don't have the heart to disappoint them."

Apollo sighed. He didn't have the heart either, to disappoint Klavier when he sounded so sad.

"You don't suit begging. I'll do it."

"I wouldn't be begging if this wasn't so important to me. Look, Apollo, please! I know we've had differences in the past but this isn't for me. It's for them. Even if they do send you hate all the time. And call you names."

"I said I'll do it."

"Really?" Klavier gasped, "Thank you, Herr Forehead. Thank you very much."

"Okay, we're back to Herr Forehead again now I've said yes, that's great," Apollo muttered, "You do know I have no experience in management. Especially music management?"

"It comes easy, Herr Forehead, you'll do great."

"I guess it could be...fun?" Apollo said hesitantly.

"Your first day is tomorrow to listen to every song we've written in this break and decide what goes on the album."

"Okay, scratch the fun part then. This will be tedious."

"No, no! Fun!" Klavier insisted, lying to both Apollo and himself, _again_ , "I'll pick you up tomorrow, 9 am, sharp!"

And before he could argue, Klavier hung up the phone. He quickly shot over a message to the bands group text, saying the manager issue was sorted and they could meet him tomorrow. He then sent over a few emojis to be safe, until Toby irritatedly told him to stop.

Klavier sat back down on his couch, cup of coffee in one hand and relaxed himself.

Life was good again.

Except…

...he'd now have to work with Apollo Justice. Every. Day.

And, technically, Apollo Justice was...kind of his boss?

Klavier Gavin tensed up, spilling a bit of his coffee onto his black jeans.

Life was not as good as before.


	2. Chapter 2

"I know things have changed a lot lately, what with Daryan's...dishonourable exit and now Phil going but everything will be fine! We got Toby and we all love him!" Klavier exclaimed, pointing to the newest band member. Everyone turned to look at him. Toby smiled awkwardly and waved. Klavier continued, "So I hope you show our new manager the same friendly welcome."

"One question, Klavier, Toby asked, "Where is he?"

Klavier paused. And then he realised.

"You forgot him. Didn't you?" Bram, the drummer, frowned.

"No!" Klavier scoffed. Everyone looked at him in disappointment. Toby shook his head and put them in his hands. "Look, I've been really tired and stressed lately."

"Just go and get him," Toby sighed as Klavier grabbed his car keys.

There was a knock at the door. Apollo was sat on his couch, yet again, with a sad plate of toast on the coffee table in front of him. He knew full well that Klavier had forgotten him. He'd pretty much known it would happen the second Klavier had promised to pick him up.

"It's open," Apollo called out. Klavier walked in sheepishly, fake excuse only half prepared in his head. Apollo looked at Klavier. Klavier looked at Apollo.

"Hey, Apollo? You excited?" He asked in an overly-cheery voice.

"You forgot me," he replied, flatly, "Also, you're overcompensating."

"It was an accident!" Klavier exclaimed, "I've not been sleeping-"

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go already."

"So, in conclusion, to my earlier speech twenty minutes ago," Klavier continued, "This is our new manager, Apollo Justice!"

Apollo looked out to his audience. Apart from Klavier, there were only three other men in there. A short, olive-skinned man stepped forward. He ran a hand through his curly brown hair and then held it out to Apollo.

"I'm Toby. Toby Blizzard, the bassist. Although, everyone calls me Dynamite. It's kind of my stage name," he explained with a sheepish grin.

"Apollo," he introduced himself with a smile that slowly turned awkward, "I don't have to call you Dynamite, do I?"

Toby shook his head and Apollo let out a sigh of relief. He was definitely not cool enough to be calling anyone Dynamite.

He turned to the person who had been next to Toby. Leaning against a table, it was a tall, thin and pale man with thick, black, shiny hair. The hair fell down to his waist and it framed his handsome face.

"I'm Bram. I'm the drummer," he said softly.

Apollo smiled and nodded awkwardly. Bram was definitely not someone Apollo would usually be able to talk to. On account that Bram looked like a vampire. He'd actually been a bit afraid of him since he'd walked into the meeting. He definitely made him nervous.

"And I'm Bruno!" The last man exclaimed excitedly, "I play the keyboard!"

Bruno was definitely the youngest of the band, due to his youthful appearance and enthusiastic personality. With a messy mop of dirty blond hair and bright blue eyes, he was a handsome guy. As a manager, Apollo was definitely going to cement his place as the eye candy of the band. ' _Sorry Klavier'_ he thought to himself.

"Now everyone's acquainted, we have some actual work to do," Klavier said cooly, "Has everyone brought their songs?"

Everyone held up pieces of paper, that included sheet music and lyrics. Apollo looked at them cluelessly.

"Let's get performing and then Apollo can work out the potential tracklist!" Klavier grinned, walking past Apollo to the studio and slapping him on the back. Harder than necessary, Apollo felt.

It had been hours. Personally, Apollo struggled getting through one Gavineers song. He'd just listened to four hours worth of tracks on a constant. Maybe this was hell. There was every chance he'd choked to death on his noodles and this was his purgatory. With a sigh, he slammed his head on the desk.

"That went great!" Klavier exclaimed, drinking some water from a bottle which appeared to be from his own merch line, "What notes did you get, Herr Forehead?"

Apollo sat up, the piece of paper stuck to his head. Klavier snatched it up and looked at it in horror.

"It's a work in progress," Apollo began to lie.

"You've written one thing and it says 'Klavier's little plait looks like a pastry'."

"It's an observation, isn't it?" Apollo replied, but then the rest of the band emerged, looking tired but proud. The three sweaty, beaming faces looked at the forlorn faces of Klavier and Apollo.

"So?" Toby asked, "Any plans?"

"Yes," bluffed Apollo.

There was a pregnant silence as the band members waited for Apollo to say something and Apollo waited for someone to make any sort of suggestion. Klavier went to his happy place - a sunny beach in Aruba.

"Like what?" Bram asked.

"Are these the notes? Can I read them?" Bruno enthused, reaching to grab them. Klavier panicked and shoved the paper in his pants pocket.

"No that's a different thing."

"You didn't make any notes, did you?" Bram said, deadpan.

"Don't be silly! Of course he did! He's not an idiot," Klavier laughed, shooting a purposeful look at Apollo.

"Apollo, Toby is going to play you a line from one of the songs we just played in the studio," the angry drummer instructed, "And you're going to tell us which song it is."

Toby looked nervously at Klavier but then compiled and played an upbeat line on his guitar. Everyone turned to Apollo, who looked up at Klavier. Klavier looked at Apollo, begging, _pleading_ , with his eyes for Apollo to not say something stupid.

"Amarillo," Apollo suggested nervously.

Silence filled the room. Klavier shut his eyes and went back to Aruba. Toby's has dropped. Bram slowly blinked and bit his bottom lip in a silent fury. Bruno turned his head and looked down to the floor. Apollo sat innocently in his chair.

"Was it not that?" He asked.

"No! It wasn't!" Bram shouted, "Klavier, are you trying to make a fool out of us?"

"What do you mean?" Klavier shouted back.

"This guy knows nothing about music at all! Never mind the music of the band he's meant to be managing!"

"He knows some stuff! He's been to one of our concerts!"

"Come on, Klav, he said 'Amarillo' for Pete's sake," Toby complained.

"He's probably only ever heard one song in his entire life!" Bruno yelled, "And that song was Amarillo for crying out loud."

"I would like to point out I have heard more than one song in my entire life."

The arguing continued. Unfortunately, Klavier was getting the brunt of it. The main point seemed to be the reunion would have to be pushed back whilst they found a new manager. Klavier was trying his hardest to stop this, but the band were adamant. Apollo felt terrible.

"Maybe...not knowing anything about music will actually be beneficial," he suggested. The band fell silent. Even Klavier looked skeptical.

"Go on," Toby said, unconvinced.

"Think about it. No comparisons to current artists. Everything I do will be purely from a business side of things. I'm probably the purest opinion you'll get," Apollo told them, "Furthermore, if I'm honest, I'm not a fan of The Gavineers. And I'll tell you for why. It doesn't appeal to me. Your fans will take anything you give them, they have loyalty to your 'brand'. The strategy you need to take here is appealing to new fans. That's what'll make this successful."

The band all looked surprised, including Klavier.

"How do you work that out?" Bram asked, his soft voice returning.

"How many people were in the audience at your last show? 10,000?" Apollo asked, without pausing for an answer, "How much of a success story would it be if you guys doubled that number in a reunion tour? No chance of being labelled has-beens then. It's the second coming of the Gavineers."

Bram nodded, smiling. Bruno noticed and grinned.

"Okay, great. We're in," Toby shrugged with a smile, "So where do we start?"

Apollo grabbed the paper out of Klavier's pocket and began to write.

"We need a concept. There's no point in picking a dozen songs, slapping a title on it and selling it. The best albums have a message and every song points towards that meaning," he span back into his chair to face the band, "And no courtroom stuff. You've been there, done that. We need something new and fresh."

"A new chapter," Klavier muttered. Everyone turned to face him so he elaborated, "Well obviously our reputation took a nose dive after Daryan started murdering everyone left, right and centre. This is a new beginning for us. A clean slate."

"Okay. Title-wise...I'm thinking," Bram started, pausing for effect, "Resurrection."

Bruno nodded slowly.

"You sure we're not going too biblical?" Toby asked.

"I don't think we've gone biblical enough. The album art should be us all getting crucified."

"No, Bram. Definitely not," Klavier interjected, "This isn't your basement goth band anymore. High school is over."

"Strange times," Bruno said quietly.

"Excuse me?"

"Everyone wrote at least one song about uncertainty, in life, love or their futures," the young keyboardist explained, "Chuck in some other songs and a few upbeat ones so it isn't a sad album and we've got a theme."

Everyone remained quiet.

"I like it," Apollo shrugged.

"Strange Times, it is," Klavier announced triumphantly.

 **AN - sorry for the terrible album title, I don't write music, I write bad fanfiction**


End file.
